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(No Model.)

I. A. BRAGAWQ THILL COUPLING.

Patented Sept. 30, 1884.

N. FETEES PlwbUlhagnpMf, Waahinflon, D. O

Unirnn Starts 7 Fa'rnnr @rricn.

JOHN A. BRAGAlW, OF' ALBANY, NE? YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SEBASTIAN FROEHLIGH, OF SAME PLACE.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPEGEFEGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 305,890, dated September 30, 1884:.

' Application filed July 8. 1984. (No model.)

To all whom; it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JoHN A. BRAGAW', a resident of Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Thin-Couplings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,

' reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal view, partly in section, of thethill-conpling provided with my improvements, the section being made on the line P, Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a side view of the clip, box, and jaws. Fig. 3 is a top view of the thill-coupling. Fig. 4 is aside view of the (hill iron. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal View,

. partly in section, of the thill-iron, the section ling, as more fully hereinafter setforth, and.

indicated in the claims.

In the drawings, the letter A represents the axle. Bis a clip of the common form, having cast with it in one piece the box 0 and the jaws D, D,the latter being provided with holes D. E is a rubber cushion placed in the box C, as now commonly used. F is the thill-iron having in its head the hole G, which corresponds in size and shape to the holes D D in the jaws, and also the eccentric portion F. H is a bolt or pintle having the feathers H and H. I I are the slots in the sides of the thill-iron; K K, thestrips of rubber inserted into the slots, and L L the caps which close the ends of the slots. The head ofthe bolt is integral with it. The length of the feather H is equal to the width of the thill-iron, and the spaces between the feathers and the head of the bolt are to be of proper width to allow the bolt to turn easily in the jaws.

In order to insert the bolt H, the thill-iron is raised vertically above the jaws D D, in the manner indicated. by the arrow in Fig. 1, un-' til the opening G in its head, which corre sponds exactly in size and shape to the stem and feathers of the bolt, is in line with the holes D in the jaws. The feather H, after the bolt has been inserted, will securely hold the bolt and the thill-iron in place after the latter has been turned down into a position where it is fit for use.

It is apparent that feathers similar to H and H may also be placed on the opposite side of the bolt with like effect, corresponding grooves being made therefor in the lower part of the holes Dand G. hen the thill-iron is turned down toward and into a horizontal position, the eccentricpart F of the thill-iron presses against the plug of rubber, and the latter in turn presses the thill-iron forward against the bolt, and the bolt against the front part of the jaws D, and thus to some degree prevents rat fling.

In order to prevent the rattling of the sides of the head of the thill-i ron with thejaws DD, I provide the former with two slots, I I, cut vertically, or nearly so, into either side thereof, in front and in rear of the hole G, asshown in Fig. 4. The slots must be of sufficient depth and width to allow the insertion of a strip of rubber or other elastic material, and may be advantageously of the dovetail form, in order to prevent the rubber from falling out, as shown in Figs. 3 and G. The strips of rubberare made to project slightly from the slots, as shown in Figs. 3 and 7, and thereby prevent the sides of the head oiqthe thill-iron from grinding against the jaws or rattling. The slots may be of any convenient fornnand must be at proper distance from the hole G,

as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5. Their ends may, if desired, be covered by metallic caps L L, of dovetail form and flush with the surface of the thilliron, as indicated in Fig. 5,

the caps preventing the strips from falling out. For this purpose a corresponding incision in dovetail form has to be made into the surface of the head of the thill-iron. The caps may either be made to cover the end of each slot separately or the ends of two slots at a time, as indicated in Fig. 7. The slots I I may withlike effect be out into the jaws D and the'rubber inserted therein, the thill-iron being left solid, and instead of rubber other elastic material may, though with less advantage, be used.

'While the action of the eccentric part F,

together with the rubber plug E, serves to pre- 3. The combination of the thill-iron F, havvent the rattling of the thill-iron with the in g the hole G and eccentric portion'F, and bolt and. that of the bolt with the jaws, the having the slots I I and strips of elastic in strips of rubber K serve to prevent side a- I 5 mt terial K K, with the clip 13, having jaws D D, 5 tling on all points of contact. and with thecushion E, substantially as de- I claim as my inventiom- I scribed. I

. 1. The thill-iron F, combined with the clipjaws D D and with the intervening cushions, K K, substantially as described.

2. The thill-iron F, combined with the clipjaws D D, intervening cushions, KK, and caps JOHN A. BRAGAW.

Witnesses:

H. L. WVAsHBURN, Jr. L, substantially as described. S. VoLMAR. 

